UPDATE 1-Lasers hit 20 aircraft flying in U.S. overnight - FAA

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Dangerous beams from handheld lasers
struck 20 aircraft flying over the United States and its
territories overnight, among the nearly 5,400 laser hits in the
nation so far this year, the Federal Aviation Administration
said on Thursday.

No injuries were reported in the incidents, which took place
from New York City to Sacramento, and resulted in at least one
arrest. Authorities said the incidents did not appear to be
linked to each other.

"Shining a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime," the FAA
said in a statement.

Laser beams can lead to temporary blindness in pilots and,
in some cases, pilots have reported eye injuries that required
medical treatment.

As of Oct. 16, the total number of laser strikes around the
U.S. this year was 5,352, the FAA said.

One man was arrested in New York after a Channel 4 news
helicopter was struck by a laser beam while flying near the
Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn at 5:15 p.m. ET (2215 GMT) on
Wednesday. The pilot alerted LaGuardia Airport's air traffic
control tower staff, which notified a New York Police Department
aviation unit.

Police in the air worked with their colleagues on the ground
to track the suspect to the rear of a building near downtown
Brooklyn, where he was taken into custody, the NYPD said.